Started Nitro Circus (like Jackass with dirt bikes), which consists of a series of movies, TV shows, and touring acts that features outrageous action-sport stunts.

Co-founder of DC Shoes and currently the official brand officer. In 2004 Sports Business Journal voted Block 17th in the “50 Most Influential in Sport Business” and Fast Company Magazine named him co-winner of its 2004 Fast 50 title.

Sports he has competed in

Motocross, Global Rallycross, World Rally Championship, NASCAR, and American Rally

Every kid with a computer knows of Ken Block and Travis Pastrana. They’ve become household names for the younger generation, and are the two of the best known race-car drivers in the country—though many “car guys” couldn’t tell you anything about what they race without doing a Google search. Kids might not know exactly what they do either, but they know who Block and Pastrana are from YouTube, MTV, ESPN, clothing, shoes, and Facebook. So who are these two? What do they drive? And what do they know about marketing that NASCAR and NHRA will have to learn to survive?

5/12

Put simply, these two are classic showmen. Every sport Block and Pastrana compete in is done with immense style. Both are adrenaline-chasing action-sport heros. Both have raced motocross, where Pastrana has been far more successful than Block. Both have raced Rally, a world that’s proven to be Block’s forte. Both men operate in the same world, have the same circle of successful energy-drink-slugging friends, and both have participated in each other’s Internet shenanigans. Pastrana appeared in Block’s 51-million-viewed Gymkhana Five video and Block has been on Pastrana’s Nitro Circus TV show.

Only recently have these two begun to compete against each other on the same motorsport field: the Global Rallycross Series. Never heard of Global Rallycross? You’re not alone—neither had we—so read on. Perhaps you’re more familiar with the other racing these two do: Block has competed in World Rally Championship and Pastrana in the NASCAR Nationwide series.

6/12

We sat down with each of them—separately—during the X Games in Los Angeles to learn more about the men behind the marketing, hear their stories, compare stats, and see if either of them are really car guys. What we learned is that in this age, which one of them is a better racer depends on if the real win comes because of their driving—or because of their marketing.

Hot Rod Asks

HOT ROD Magazine] Does a car need to flip, spin, or slide for you to be interested in it?

Travis Pastrana] Actually no, it just has to be challenging. In general, the more speed the better. If it jumps, that’s a bonus. If it flips—intentionally—that’s a big bonus. Unintentionally, well, you can get anything to flip.

Ken Block] [Big laugh] As a kid I’ve always been interested in rally racing, I don’t necessarily like stunt driving—I like rally driving. What all-wheel-drive rally cars do has always interested me. Even if you look at the videos I do, I don’t do stunt-type driving—I do car-control, rally-type driving.

HRM] What’s your everyday driver?

TP] I just got a Dodge Caravan. You can put everything in there. It’s awesome [laugh]. The thing is, I can’t drive a really fast car [on the street], because I drive everything how it’s supposed to be driven. I almost lost my license when I was 18. I love fast cars and everything about speed. I must refrain from going fast on the road, though, so when I [get to] race that makes me feel better.

KB] Ford Raptor. I live in the mountains, so in the winter it’s a fun truck to have. It’s the first pickup I’ve jumped in that is actually made for fun. I’ve owned pickups for years to go dirt-bike riding. I’ve never really thought about it, but the Raptor has soft suspension that could actually soak up jumps, and it has great weight transfer. Put it in all-wheel-drive in the snow and it reacts like my rally car. I really love it. People trip out that I don’t have a supercar, but I like to have fun with my daily driver.

HRM] Who wouldn’t you let drive your car? [They were asked away from each other]

TP] [Laughs] Ken Block! Was that too quick?

KB] Good question…Travis Pastrana.

HRM] Dream Car?

TP] It’s sitting right out there [points to his Dodge Dart Global Rallycross Car], 0–60 in [less than] 2 seconds. NASCAR is fun because it’s competitive and you have a lot of horsepower, but you’re in a tank. It feels like a school bus. In a rally car you’re all nimbly bimbly, and it’s awesome.

7/12

KB] I’m a race-car driver at heart. On regular roads I drive really mellow nowadays. My dream car is right there [points to his Ford Fiesta Rallycross car]. When I do 0-60 in [less than] 2 seconds, that is the dream. Then I can throw it sideways or rally it through a forest. That right there is my dream car.

8/12

HRM] It’s your office, but it’s like a washing machine to passengers. What do you do to prepare, and how important is it to be comfortable in these machines?

TP] Everything for me is really different, but in racing, mentally [it’s all] the same. I think the guy who’s going to win is the guy who is out walking the course, pushing the barriers to see which one will move and where he might be able to bounce off and get a good run. The guy who will go the extra mile, spending a little more time going over the data and talking with the crew. It’s all in preparation.

KB] Comfort is a really big important factor in any race car and racing. Everything has to be subconscious. You can’t be thinking: I need to do this or remember to do that. The car has to react exactly how you expect it to. I’m lucky that I get to do all these different disciplines of four-wheel racing in the same car. You have to make it so that you succeed. You have to set yourself up with the right equipment so that when you get into a different set up you can get comfortable as quickly as possible.

The Cars

Global Rallycross is a level playing field for the two drivers. It’s a cut-down version of Rally with stadium seating. The course is usually built inside a NASCAR track and constructed of half dirt and half asphalt with a jump, water, and a mandatory short-cut route. Block races in a Ford Fiesta and Pastrana races a Dodge Dart. Each race consists of several heat races, a qualifier, and a main event. The standstill start has 4 to 10 600hp cars that beat and bang into each other as they gun for the first turn. It makes for exciting racing.

The sport seems to be growing in popularity, especially with the younger generation, but do they care about the cars past the fender decals? At HRM we want to know about the mechanics of these 300hp-per-liter hellish compacts.

Pastrana

11/12Pastrana’s Dart will only see Global Rallycross, unlike Block who uses the same car for multiple series of races. The Dart is a far cry from the factory counterpart that produces 160 hp with a 1.4L Fiat turbocharged four-cylinder, this one makes 600 hp from its turbo 2.0L. Pastrana’s race car was built using the first Dodge Dart off the production line.

Block

12/12Block’s Monster/OMSE Ford Fiesta MkVll used in the Gymkhana Three YouTube video, weighs 2,425 pounds (not all of his cars will weigh the same between Rallycross and Rally) and featured the same powerplant he uses in Global Rallycross. On the outside, it has a M-Sport Ford Fiesta carbon-fiber roof scope and a Kevlar-reinforced rear hatch.

Global Rallycross and European Rallycross are basically the same sport with two sanctioning bodies and feature the same cars. Most everyone uses the similar 2.0L 600hp turbo four-banger, including Pastrana, who uses a Mountune-built race engine special ordered from the UK, and Block, who has a Pipo Moteurs–built mill. The engines are capable of 850 hp but are limited to around 650 hp due to the 45mm restrictor placed in the turbo inlets per the rules. Neither team wanted us to share any specifics or show detailed photos of the engine, turbo, or transmission. Suffice it to say, both cars are all-wheel-drive, weigh less than 3,000 pounds, and use sequential six-speed Sadeu gearboxes.